GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 22, 2026
Chargeable weight
Chargeable weight is the billing metric that carriers and freight forwarders apply to freight invoices, distinct from a shipment's actual gross weight.
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Definition & Explanation
Chargeable weight is the billing metric that carriers and freight forwarders apply to freight invoices, distinct from a shipment's actual gross weight. It equals whichever is greater: actual weight or volumetric weight, the latter calculated as length × width × height divided by a mode-specific divisor. In air freight this divisor is typically 6000 (using centimetres and kilograms); sea and road transport apply different values. For lightweight but bulky goods – packaging materials or foam products, for example – volumetric weight frequently exceeds physical weight, and the shipper is billed accordingly. The concept allows carriers to recover the cost of capacity used, whether the limiting factor is payload or cubic space.
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